If you read this blog at all, you know that my favourite author is James Patterson. For many years, all I had read from Patterson was the Alex Cross series, and I never thought I would find better. But then I think I did.
I was sent a free copy of a new series from the acclaimed author, and I was hooked immediately. The book was Step on a Crack, and it introduced a new character that would start to rival the legendary Alex Cross. His name? Michael Bennett.
Fast forward 20 years, and I have read every Michael Bennett book since.
Michael Bennett is easily a character that should be a TV series, and I have always pictured Michael Shannon as the actor.
Anyways, you are not here to read all about my theories on who should play Detective Michael Bennett; you are here to see what book is next in this addicting series of books.
Here’s the full list of Michael Bennett books in order.
TL;DR: There are 18 Michael Bennett books. The series starts with Step on a Crack (2007). Read them in order. The most recent is Paranoia (2025), with Delusional due out in August 2026.
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All Michael Bennett Books in Order
- Step on a Crack (2007)
- Run for Your Life (2009)
- Worst Case (2009)
- Tick Tock (2010)
- I, Michael Bennett (2012)
- Gone (2013)
- Burn (2014)
- Alert (2015)
- Bullseye (2016)
- Haunted (2017)
- Ambush (2018)
- Blindside (2020)
- The Russian (2021)
- Shattered (2022)
- Obsessed (2023)
- Crosshairs (2024)
- Paranoia (2025)
- Delusional (2026)
Where to Start
Step on a Crack. Then go in order from there.
This one landed in my hands as a free copy many years ago, and it’s the reason I’ve read the whole series. Bennett’s a detective with ten kids at home, trying to hold a case and a family together at the same time, and that setup carries the whole series from book one.
Start here. Everything that makes the series worth sticking with builds from this book.
The Part That Keeps Me Coming Back
Ten adopted kids is a lot to track, and Patterson doesn’t take the shortcut. A kid whose background noise in book two has a whole storyline by book twelve. Someone graduates. Someone screws up badly enough that it costs the family something. The person running the house isn’t who was running it three books ago.
Same trick Alex Cross plays with his own family in DC, just louder here because there are more people in it.
I haven’t hit a dud yet in this series. Every one is worth your time.
About the Two Most Recent Books
Paranoia (2025) is the latest one out, and it’s where the main series currently sits.
Delusional is next, due out in August 2026. I’m right there with everyone else, waiting on it.
FAQ
18 main series books as of 2026, plus two companion novellas (Chase and Manhunt). Delusional, out in August 2026, is the newest.
Yes. The family storyline builds across the whole series, the same way it does in Alex Cross. Reading in sequence is worth it.
Step on a Crack (2007).
Michael Ledwidge co-wrote the earlier books. James O. Born has co-written the series from Haunted onward.
Not directly. Same author, same city, same style, but they’re separate detectives with separate cases.
Looking for more from this author? Here’s the full James Patterson Books in Order list.
If you started with Michael Bennett, my Alex Cross Books in Order post gets the same treatment for that series.
I’ve also got a full Books, TV & Media hub for everything else I’ve written about books and TV.
